The Only State Capital Where You Can't Drink the Water

[Fresh Water Falling]

This video was uploaded in February of this year. The following was publlshed yeaterday:

Court-appointed manager of Mississippi capital water system gets task of fixing sewage problems

BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Updated 6:43 PM GMT-2:30, July 26, 2023

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The independent manager working to fix the long-troubled water system in Mississippi’s capital city will also be assigned to oversee repairs to the city’s deteriorating sewer system, under an order filed Wednesday by a federal judge.

Officials from the U.S. Justice Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the city of Jackson all agreed to give the extra duties to Ted Henifin.

Jackson has struggled with water problems for decades. The federal government intervened in the water system after many of the city’s 150,000 residents and many businesses were left without running water last August and September after heavy rains exacerbated problems at a water treatment plant. People waited in lines for water to drink, bathe, cook and flush toilets in Jackson as some businesses were temporarily forced to close for lack of safe drinking water.

Jackson also has longstanding problems with its sewer system. The city agreed to enter a consent decree in 2012 with the EPA to prevent the overflow of raw sewage and bring the city into compliance with the Clean Water Act. Reports required by the consent decree showed more than 4 billion gallons of untreated or partially treated wastewater were dumped into the Pearl River between March 2020 and February 2022.

https://apnews.com/article/jackson-mississippi-water-sewer-5a0ea5a1d2b12005c69d7a5a77ab0424

Stupid Mississippi! Heh! That could never happen in other state capitals in this great country!

Right?

[Auggie]

1. And why did this happen? Surprise, surprise ...

AP story from September 1, 2022

HEADLINE: Mississippi capital’s water disaster developed over decades

The scenes testify to the near collapse of a water system that residents could not trust even in the best of times. The failure to provide such an essential service reflects decades of government dysfunction, population change and decaying infrastructure. It has also fueled a political battle in which largely white GOP state lawmakers have shown little interest in helping a mostly Black city run by Democrats.

SNIP

In the past half-century, the racial composition of Jackson has also changed. Once majority white, it is now more than 80% Black. The suburbs encircling Jackson are generally whiter and more prosperous and have newer infrastructure.

SNIP

At the same time, Mississippi is slashing taxes. This year, Reeves signed the state’s largest-ever tax cut, which will reduce revenue by an estimated $185 million the first year and $525 million the final year.

The governor argued that cutting the income tax would “lead to more wealth for all Mississippians,” even as one of the poorest states in the nation struggles to support schools and rural hospitals.

LINK: https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-jackson-4feba8f9a550bbaaefb343ae20881b9f

[jaxexpat]

2. Infrastructure ain't all roads and bridges.

Prepare yourself for all the streets and medians to be orange barrel infested for about 25 years. Considering the quality of US worker for such really hard work, we better be paying immigrants to cross the RioGrande.

[3Hotdogs]

3. Yeah, they can't drink the water but at least they ain't got no lib'tard lawmakers making 'em

waste money on environmental bullshit.

[marble falls]

4. They don't want to pay taxes for clean water. At least not for folks in other neighborhoods.

[IronLionZion]

5. Plenty of people assume there is safe drinking water everywhere in the US

but they are sadly mistaken. This should be a pretty basic important necessity in the US.

[appleannie1]

6. Pittsburgh isn't a capital city but they started replacing the entire area's water pipes when Flint

was in the news. They are about 2/3 rd done. They were all corroded and rusty and lead was leaching into the water as well. So to answer your question, it can and does happen in cities all over the country.